Fox Theatre

The Fox Theater on Wolflin Ave opened in September 1968 showing “THE ODD COUPLE”. It played for weeks and weeks but I never wanted to see a movie about 2 old guys so I didn’t go to the theater until the premier of “BARBARELLA” December 3, 1968. I saw 262 movies there before they shut the place down July 27, 1992. The last was “DEEP COVER” June 20, 1992. The building sat empty and forlorn until it was demolished in the summer of ‘93. A Taco Bell and other businesses are now located at the spot where movies were once shown.

November 27th, 1974 grand opening ad as a twin also in photo section

I saw some very good movies at the Fox, including GREASE, SUPERMAN, and RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK; however, as I got older and became more film savvy, I realized what a poor theater it was in which to see films. Its two screens were too narrow to accommodate films shown in 2.35, so over 20% of the image landed on both sides of the auditorium walls. Union projectionists were not employed but high school and college kids were, and the presentations were continuously screwed up. The projector lights were too dim and there seemed to always be a technical glitch in most presentations. I saw RAIDERS there three times several months apart and, no kidding, each subsequent presentation was shorter than the previous one due to the projectionists splicing out parts of it for whatever reasons. Celluloid lovers can thank theaters like this for giving us digital projection. Poor management and crappy quality are what did it in. Definitely NOT a cinema treasure.

gunnermikee, your explanation helps to understand why it was a theater of such poor quality. Ironically, though, the presentations at the MANN 4-Plex on 45th and Bell were superior to those at the Fox. At least it could show a movie in its proper aspect ratio with both a decently bright picture and good sound. In fact, even though the Mann 4-Plex became a one-dollar theater in the early eighties, I used to wait for movies to go there that I really wanted to see if they had started their runs at the Fox.

The screens at the Mann 4-Plex were formatted to show scope films and would physically place large black “mattes” on the sides of the screens when playing a film in 1.85; the screens at the Fox seemed to be formatted for only 1.85 films, so that both scope and flat presentations were on a one-size-fits-all screen. The scope-shot film, THE UNTOUCHABLES, for example, opened at the Fox in 1987, then moved to the discounted Mann 4-Plex, and I distinctly remember, having watched it multiple times at both locations, seeing more of the picture when it was at the 4-Plex.

As far as the public not complaining, I’m not surprised. In 1998, on a Sunday afternoon, I went to see GONE WITH THE WIND in Grapevine, Texas and sat through, what turned out to be, a bad print of it. Everything looked slightly out of focus to the point where if an actor was, say, fifteen feet or more from the camera being photographed with a normal lens, it was very difficult to make out his/her face. The auditorium I saw it in was packed, as was an adjacent one showing it and using the same print. The next day, I called and talked to the manager and he said that, yes, they had received a poorly made print and had a new one on order, but that I was the ONLY PERSON who had complained. Also, just a few years ago, I found myself complaining at two different local theaters that had left their 3D-convertors on while showing 2D presentations. So, I if people don’t complain about movies looking fuzzy/distracting, I don’t see them doing so about aspect ratios.